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Mysterious Bug bites......
#21
Yup, DA VINE! A slightly elongated heart shaped leaf anywhere from 2-8 inches tall. My wife got into it last year, cost us about 300 worth of medical bills. When you break or cut it, after a minute or two its sap turns red.. To date nobodies been able to identify this special bread of vine. The doctor diagnosed her skin reaction in combination with this vines juices, because the sun is so much brighter here, as Hyper photo reactive dermatitis.. Fun stuff...

This year I removed every darned leaf, vine and root itched in a few days for it, because I was being very careful..

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#22
Hmmmm...Well, folks I know have had bad reactions to the philodendron vine sap - which are the giant ones, monstera sap, mango leaves and sap - which is related to poison ivy, and lantana - L. camera, the orange flowered wild one with spines.
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#23
someone else mentioned to me about the hitch hiker vine, desmondium? As far as i know i had no contact with philodendruns, although i have monstera, i did not move/touch any or same with mango leaves....didn't think i would get such an intense reaction....i wonder jeff what vine you are talking about?

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#24
jeff,

does the plant look anything like this family of plant

http://www.hear.org/Pier/imagepages/thum...florum.htm



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#25
This vine might be in the monstera family. It climes and crawls just like it and the stalk or branching of the vine is nearly identical too. . I've seen it mixed in with monstera, except monstera likes shade where as this vine likes the sun. When I've seen it mixed in with monstera whereas when it grows into the bright sun, it almost looks like the leaf mutates into a much smaller configuration with the solid heart shape, smaller than monstera, and no separation or splitting up in the leaf, within the leaf its self.. However, when you cut or snap monteria's branch unlike this stuff it does not bleed red.. And once i took a really close look at the two growing within each other I could see a definite separation of the vine/ branching..

I am pretty sure it's what you got now Noel, it's a pretty deceiving looking vine, seemingly harmless, until its sap begins to get under your skin 12-18 hours later. Of all the cutting, scrapping of shrubs, weeds and the like I've done, this vines sap is the only thing that will not wash out too.. My pants and shirt I used a few months ago to eliminate a whole truck load of this stuff is permanently stained which, now looks like almost brown spotting.. I bet it stained in your cloths too.


And to your photos, nope and nope. Similar colors but just a bit bigger and a elongated heart shape, is this vines ID.. Plus, i just remembered, it's new leaves can be somewhat attractive, , some areas are while some are not ornamental leave colors, with interesting coloration on it, and may or may not be a reddish tone. i mean, I almost thought i had two different types of vines at times for this ornamentation, but following the stalk proved it may or may not display variegated, brown/blue and or red colors in the leaf.. Could not discover this odd characteristic because some did and some did not in the light or shade..

Basic ID is a elongated heart shape vine. Snap it, wait a few minutes and it's sap turns red.


Oh yeah, lucky for you, unlike poison oak or ivy, it does not spread as easily. Mostly it just burns holes in your outer layers of skin, depending on how much of the sap you got on you.. My wife had a nearly one inch spot, that got so bad we began to think she had staff.. The tell tail sign was the stain on her shirt exactly same size and location of this burn.. Today months, many months later she has a permanent scar that looks like one from an immunization shot near her shoulder.. I've got a few battle scars from it too, but they will go away, hers, not likely.

Oh yeah oh yeah, never-mind the betadine, that's how i learned she reacted to it. It did not help and cause the areas around it to look worse..

Hydrocortazone (sp?) cream, calamine lotion and benadryl (sp?) pills. Sam thing basically for poison ivy/oak. plus he gave her hydroxyzine to help her relax/sleep.. She's a scratcher from hell as it is..

Edited by - Jeffhale on 07/31/2007 10:42:36
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#26
quote:
Hmmmm...Well, folks I know have had bad reactions to the philodendron vine sap - which are the giant ones, monstera sap, mango leaves and sap - which is related to poison ivy, and lantana - L. camera, the orange flowered wild one with spines.


Mitzi, I've long heard that mango is a relative of the Rhus plants: Poison Ivy, Oak, Sumac. There is a product at the drugstore that is designed to clean up the rhus allergen, urushiol. I don't know if the relationship between mango and the rhus plants means that mango has the same component, but if it does, look for Technu. If you can't find it at local drug stores, try the Internet. Last I've seen, there are two versions of Technu, so check out how they work.
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#27
Whenever I pulled out and cleaned up this elongated heart shaped vine recently, I got some of the sap on me. I am fairly sure that Lava soap is simply lye soap with pumice. Lye soap good! In the Ozarks, which is loaded with poison Ivy, which I am very allergic too, they, Da Hillbillies kine peoples, recommend using lye soap to wash off the poison ivy oils. Once i began itching from this vines sap, a good washing with Lava soap fixed me up, stopped itching after a while, and healed up..

Whereas last year whenever i got some, I didn't use Lava soap, the itching lasted for a week or two..

Might be to late for you at this time Noel, or not, but next time give it some Lava soap, it definitely cuts the saps oil. ..

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#28
thanks forthe heads up jeff, i'm sure to bump into plenty plants with sappy sap...where did you pick up this lye soap and is there a name brand that you used that is available in puna area?

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#29
Hummm let me see here.. Did I mention Lava soap? Yup, sure did, 4 times, he, he.. Lava soap available just about anywhere they sell bars of soap.. Lava, (brand) soap, good, berry good..


OK, correction, wife says it's not anywhere, Wal-mart for sure, and a few other places.


We use it incidentally, regularly, is good for cleaning scratches and scrapes you'll encounter here, helps keep infection away. And me wife, liking to get so clean she just about rubs her skin off, uses it for regular washing.. Just have to be care full about getting it in very sensitive places of your body cause that there lye soap in it will burn yaw. ( face turning red) I scrubbed me rear end with it once, big mistake, but luckily I had some Aloe Vera lotion to sooth for the next three days..

Edited by - Jeffhale on 08/02/2007 10:00:43
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#30
thanks for the heads up on the lava soad jeff.....on another note have you given up on the bali style....i noticed on another post that you were now considering an argus style plan with two small units....need to be thorough about quality control....i had quiet a few wood deliveries that were kinda shabby from a previous build i did in the past.

keep me updated on your build....told robert that i still want to work with him when we finish our interim place.

aloha,

noel

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